Atletico Madrid are preparing to battle it out with Tottenham Hotspur and Everton for the signature of Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik (AS).
Milik came to Napoli in the summer transfer window of 2016 from Ajax. Injuries and the form of Belgian forward Dries Mertens have seriously limited his game time at Gli Azzurri. Despite this, he has an impressive goalscoring record, netting 28 from 46 starts in Serie A over the last two seasons.
However, the Poland international has fallen out of favour with manager Gennaro Gattuso and was left out of the Napoli squad for the 2020/21 season after refusing moves to Roma and Fiorentina.
Milik is out of contract next summer, leaving him free to talk to other clubs in January. And, according to Spanish outlet AS, Atletico Madrid are one of three clubs looking to sign the forward.
The 26-year-old was reportedly on Atletico Madrid’s radar in the previous transfer window, but Diego Simeone prioritised the signing of Luis Suarez. However, Diego Costa’s constant injury woes have been a concern for Simeone, and he now believes that he needs another striker in his roster.
Furthermore, Suarez and Costa are both well into their thirties now, leaving only Joao Felix as a long-term prospect upfront. Simeone apparently does not see Serbian forward Ivan Saponjic as a viable option.
If Los Rojiblancos were to make a move for Milik, then they may face some competition from the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be tracking Milik as they continue to look for a backup option for Harry Kane. Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius was brought in from Benfica, but he was only on loan. The former Bayer Leverkusen man has been linked with Spurs in the past.
Meanwhile, Everton have also been named as potential buyers for the Polish forward. Manager Carlo Ancelotti currently only has Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, and the out of favour Cenk Tosun available for his frontline. The addition of another striker could be useful.
However, whether Milik would get game time over Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison is uncertain.
